How Many Slices in a 14-Inch Pizza?
Ordering the right amount of pizza for a party or event is crucial. There is nothing worse than having starving guests or sitting with enough leftover pizza for a month!
But how many slices come in a 14-inch pizza? And how many people does that feed? Many factors influence the portion size and serving amount you should use. But on average, a 14-inch pizza has between 8-12 slices. This will feed between 3-5 people.
Okay, so how big are these slices then? This requires a little bit of math. But don’t worry. We’ve made it incredibly easy!
Today, we will show you everything you need to know about pizza slices. From slice amount to slice surface area, dimensions for packaging, and portion size for parties – we will cover it all!
These calculations can be used to calculate the dimensions and surface area of various-sized slices from different-sized pizzas.
How Big Is a 14-Inch Pizza?
When people refer to a “14-inch pizza,” it specifically references the diameter of a round pizza. That means a 14-inch pizza is 14 inches in diameter (across). Easy enough to understand, right?
But why is it important?
Understanding all of the size aspects of a pizza will help you better understand how many slices you will get from it and ultimately how many portions. This can help you calculate portion amounts for events and even cost per portion, a crucial part of catering and party planning.
So, what do 14 inches mean?
A 14-inch (35.5cm) pizza is traditionally considered to be a large pizza. However, in some parts of the country and world, it’s classified as an extra-large pizza. The difference in classification has to do with how much people eat in the area.
How Many Slices Are in a 14-Inch Pizza?
Now, the most important question we will answer today is: how many slices can you get from a 14-inch pizza? But the answer may not be as simple as you would like it to be.
On average, people divide a 14-inch pizza into 10 slices.
But again, depending on where you are and what that region’s portion sizing looks like, you may find 8 slices or 12 slices.
Plus, if you are catering for a specific event, it may even be smaller portions that will give you between 16-18 slices from that one pizza.
So the exact amount of slices per 14-inch large pizza depends. If you have to calculate numbers for an event, we’d recommend working on the traditionally recommended 10 slices.
How Big Are the Slices?
The size of the slice obviously depends on the number of slices you are cutting. To calculate the exact size, we will need to get into some maths!
Calculating the Surface Area of a Pizza
The formula for calculating the surface area of a circle (round pizza) is as follows: π x r²
- As we know, the diameter of a 14-inch pizza is 14 inches.
- The radius of a 14-inch pizza can be calculated by dividing the diameter by 2. In this case, the radius is 7 inches.
π x r²
= 3.1415 x 7²
= 153.94 in² (square inches)
Calculating the Surface Area of Each Slice
Working out the surface area of each slice is easy once you have the surface area of the entire pizza.
Again, the surface area of a 14-inch pizza is 153.94 in².
To calculate the surface area of the slices, divide this area by the number of slices you want to cut.
As you will see below, the more slices you cut, the smaller the surface area will be.
Calculating the Dimensions of the Slices
The main reason you would need the dimensions of pizza slices is for packaging or serving purposes. But it is an important point to discuss.
Step 1: Calculate the Circumference of the Pizza
The circumference of a circle can be calculated using the following formula: C = 2 x π x r
We already know the radius of a 14-inch pizza, which is 7 inches. Therefore;
C = 2 x π x r
C = 2 x 3.1415 x 7
C = 43.98 inches
Step 2: Divide the Circumference by Slices
This step will give you the size of the curved edge (crust) of the pizza. This is the most difficult measurement to get. But with our steps, it’s very easy.
Step 3: Dimensions of 1 Slice
Now, the dimensions of 1 slice consist of 3 measurements.
Two of these measurements will be the radius of the pizza. The two slices run straight from the center point to the edge.
The third dimension you just calculated is the curved edge.
So, here is the size of 1 slice of pizza from varying slice amounts.
How Many People Can You Feed From a 14-Inch Pizza?
Calculating the surface area and dimensions of pizza slices is much easier than calculating portion sizes.
Why?
Because how much do people eat? It’s a question whose answer has many determining factors.
Where are the people located? What is their background? Is pizza the only dish being served? What time of the day is it? What type of pizza is it?
Think of it this way:
- The elderly and children eat far less food than healthy teenagers or young adults.
- People tend to eat less food in the morning than they do at lunch or dinner.
- If many other appetizers or courses are being served, the portion size per dish will be smaller. People have more options to fill up.
- In some countries and even continents (like America for example) people eat far more than in others (like some parts of Europe). If portion sizes are bigger, people may need more.
- A plain Margarita pizza won’t fill guests up as quickly as a fully-loaded meat lovers pizza will. The same goes for the thick-crust versus thin-crust pizza types. One fills you up quicker than the other.
So, how many people can you feed from a 14-inch pizza?
On average, we’d say between 3-5 people. The amount of slices you cut won’t change how much someone necessarily eats.
Whether they have 2 small slices or 1 massive slice, they have the same stomach capacity.